(2) Sterling Silver Bowls, Reed & Barton (Smaller) and Watson (Larger). Both have reticulated patterns. Smaller piece is monogrammed KE on surface, with their hallmark (an eagle, R in a shield, and lion), the word Sterling, and the number 205 on the bottom. Larger piece is inscribed on bottom with Katherine Emery (likely the same as KE), the word Sterling, the number 5797, and the hallmark of a sword in a laurel wreath, which was used by the short-lived Wilcox & Wagoner Silver Company (c. 1900-1905) and then by Watson when they acquired them until 1929.
Condition: Commensurate with use and age.
Largest: 10 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.
Weight: 7.970 ozt.
#7 #8 #3692 .
In 1824 Isaac Babbitt created a silversmith manufacturing company called Babbitt & Crossman in Taunton, Massachusetts. Within a decade the company was failing, and was purchased by Henry Reed and Charles Barton, changing the name to Reed & Barton. Its products included sterling silver and silverplate flatware, expanding to britannia and other items after the takeover. During the American Civil War Reed & Barton produced a considerable quantity of weapons for the Union Army. In 1924 the company merged with silversmith Dominick & Haff, and their products were selected to be used in the White House. They were also chosen to design and produce the official gold, silver, and bronze medals for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Reed & Barton filed for Chapter 11 in February 2015, citing ongoing pension liabilities and decreasing revenue. At the bankruptcy auction their remaining assets were acquired by The Lenox Company, a competing maker of flatware and tableware.
In 1874 the silversmiths Clarence L. Watson and Fred Newell along with goldsmiths Charles Cobb, Samuel Gould and W.A. Battey jointly formed Cobb, Gould & Co in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The firm started by producing a line of jewelry goods, mainly gold plated. Between 1875 and 1880 Battey, Cobb and Gould all withdrew from the partnership, and Watson and Newell formed a new firm operating under the name Watson & Newell, dedicated specifically to silver jewelry. In 1887 Joseph R. Ripley joined the business and the name changed to Watson, Newell & Co. In 1891 Edward L. Gowern entered the partnership, although the name stayed the same. Rapid expansion led the company to acquire the defunct Mechanics Mill property in 1894, opening a new factory there in 1896. At that time the name changed yet again to Watson & Newell Co, while Mechanics Sterling Company was created as a subsidiary flatware branch. In 1899 the firm obtained its first flatware patent under Watson, and began a wide production of flatware and souvenir spoons. Failing health forced Newell to retire from active participation in the firm in 1901, remaining as a silent partner until his death in 1910. In 1904 a sleeve and collar buttons division under the direction of Ripley and Gowen became a separate operating unit in the Mechanics factory, with the name Standard Button Company. In 1920 the numerous companies were consolidated under he name The Watson Company, producing many new silver and flatware designs. When Watson died in 1930 his son-in-law Grover Richards took over management, eventually selling the company to R. Wallace & Sons in 1955, who retired the name and many of the designs. The J.T. Inman Co Inc. of Attleboro purchased over 3000 dies of Watson souvenir spoons from Wallace in the 1970s, but have not put any of them into production, instead focusing almost exclusively on picture frames.
Condition
Commensurate with use and age.
